The purpose of this section is to provide you with ideas for using discover IDEA CD 2002 in university classes; pre-service and inservice trainings for teachers, administrators, principals, and related service personnel; parent trainings; and others settings where people are interested in learning about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its implementation. The "Tips" offered are suggestions on (1) how to demonstrate use of this CD to others; and (2) how to use the CD as a resource in presentations. We received these suggestions from users of the earlier versions of this CD - several of whom use the discover IDEA CD extensively in training.

Describe the basic structure and layout of the CD. It is designed as an interactive book. The Table of Contents is the opening page and links to the basic sections. Review the contents page before opening any of its links. You may want to provide this page as a handout.

Items to Highlight:

• Open the Orientation and review its contents. Note that when URLs are in italics, it means that the link requires a live Internet connection and goes off the CD. Most of the information is ON the CD. However, links to updates, e-mail and resource web sites require access to the Internet.
• Point out the CD Registration, feedback form, and link to updates available on the web.
• Demonstrate the enhanced version of the Law and the Regulations. Depending on your audience, you may go back to this section for the bulk of your presentation.
• Identify the browser's Back button as a means to navigate the CD.

Explain the New Features of the CD:
The tabs along the top of the Table of Contents are new features on this CD designed especially to make training and research easier.

• IDEA Basics: Use this when introducing an audience to the IDEA. Documents in this section give a basic overview of IDEA.
• Info by Topic: Use this when looking for everything on this CD about selected topics.
• Trainer Tips: Use this to find ideas on how to create your own presentation, lecture, or interactive session with your audience.
• Search: Use this simple search engine to locate everything on this CD that relates to a word or phrase.

At the beginning of your session together, brainstorm about what the group would like to learn in the session. After giving an overview of how to use the CD, break into groups and let groups search and find the answers to the questions they want to learn about. After everyone has found their answers, groups share with each other what they found.

When demonstrating the CD ask the audience to select a topic or a pick one issue that someone is struggling with. Then use that topic or issue throughout the entire presentation to showcase the different sections of the CD. This helps the audience learn how to think logically when searching for information. It will also help them recognize the variety of resources related to each topic. For example, if the topic is "native language" do the following:

1. Demonstrate how to search the law and regulations to find information on native language and explain the Index, the magnifying glass and how to use the browser Find function to find terms within a page.
2. Find a term within the regulations that they are uncertain of and demonstrate the glossary (located in Law and Regulations.)
3. Propose that if they are doing a training on native language, they might want to use overheads, and show them the OSEP overheads under Training Resources.
4. Point out any Topical Documents about the topic. If there are no topical documents, pose the question "Are there subtopics that impact the topic we selected that might contain important information?" For example, native language also entails providing information in the language of the parents. Therefore, it would be important to point out topical documents that come in multiple languages that are parent friendly and/or are available in other languages.
5. Use the Information by Topic section in the same way. "Cultural and Linguistic Diversity" contains IDEA publications, regulations, training materials, links and contact information.
6. Suggest that if additional help is needed (e.g. to put together a panel) they might search the Resource Links on the CD to locate state resources, funded centers and parent centers that could be of help.
7. Demonstrate the Search Engine by using key words of interest. If too many items come up, use the other organizing features already described.

A. What do you do when you get questions from an audience that you have been asked over and over, and the regulations themselves (quoting them part and section) don't seem to provide an adequate response?

B. Did you know there are over 1,100 grant project descriptions that the CD will link you to? They are projects funded to explore educational strategies, instruction, program models, etc. When using the CD, ask the audience for an area for which they need some instructional ideas, and actually show them how to search this database of grant projects. It works like this:

1. Go to the Links and Contacts section on the Table of Contents page.
2. Click on National Resource Links.
3. Halfway down that list, you will see: OSEP Discretionary Grants and Contracts Database. This is the collection of abstracts of the 1,100 funded projects. (You must have an Internet connection.) If necessary, increase the font size by selecting the command located under the View menu in your browser.
4. Demonstrate to your group how you could search for projects where you might discover the latest work being done, for example with: Young Children, and appropriate intervention strategies.
5. Plug these words in as your search terms in the search box, (young, children, intervention) and you should come up with 100 or so descriptions of projects addressing this topic, many of which will send you information, or share with you the work they are doing.
6. Open one of the project descriptions for your audience to see, and stimulate interest in knowing what some of the current leaders in the field are up to!
7. You could also search by State to locate all area projects.

C. Assume you are doing an overview of the CD for a group of special educators in Texas. Show them that the 10 Regional Educational Labs are linked to on the CD, and give them an example of how this resource can be helpful. Here's how:

1. Go to the Links and Contacts section on the Table of Contents.
2. Click on National Resource Links.
3. Near the bottom of that section are the Regional Educational Laboratories
4. Take them to the map and click on Texas. This will pull up SEDL – Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
5. Click on their Web site. (You must have an Internet connection.)
6. Once there, go to the What's New section and see what you can find that might be useful to your audience. The Regional Labs have newsletters, resources and all sorts of information on topics of interest to all educational professionals.

D. The Discover IDEA CD contains an invaluable guide to help folks find what they need at the individual state level. Here's how. Give your audience this scenario: You are in rural Michigan, and there is a child in an elementary school with considerable medical needs, and the school has never faced anything like this before. The nurse just retired, and hasn't been replaced yet. Where can they get help?

1. Go to the Links and Contacts section on the Table of Contents.
2. Click on State Resources at the bottom of the section.
3. Click on NICHCY State Resource Sheets (You must have an Internet connection.)
4. Now, click on Michigan.
5. Select State Agencies and Organizations.
6. Scroll until you find Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs.
7. Point out the name of the person you would call first. It's that easy!

• Store the CD on your hard drive so that your demonstration will be faster.
• Pick an audience participant to try another topic with help from the trainer and other audience members, and navigate the CD together.
• Use a Scavenger Hunt question and answer activity with groups. You can generate the questions yourself, or have the group generate them in a getting-to-know-you orientation at the beginning of your presentation. Talk about what they want to learn today and then have groups use the CD to find answers to their questions.